12/99 

Nervous, Apprehensive, and Tight, all words that go into describing the weeks and days before the 2000 Paralympic tryouts. With 44 of the best athletes the USA has to offer on hand, the day finally arrived when the competition would begin.

The tryouts, which were hosted by the City of Pasadena Texas in conjunction with the Pasadena Parks and Recreation Department, were in short, "the best tryouts to date". The host coordinator, Peggy Turner, had prepared everything, including a top of the line training center at the Pasadena Convention Center, and accommodations at the Radisson Hotel. The players only had to worry about giving their best physical and mental performance.

Tryouts began with a Team USA meeting that was attended by all competing players and staff members. Team USA Head Coach, Reggie Richner led the meeting and welcomed the hopeful ruggers to, what would later be described, as the most intensive tryouts to date. Schedules, group assignments and general information were passed out, and a Q & A session was offered to the players to calm some concerns and quell rumors that had been circulating throughout the group.

As with any large group, some of the athletes invited suffered injuries, or had personal obligations arise that interfered with the selection weekend. The loss of key tryout hopefuls Dave Gould, Gerardo Aldape, Neil Gustafson and others would put the coaching staff of Reggie Richner and Wendy Gumbert in a tough predicament. Surely their presence at tryouts would add to the level of competition during the weekend, and would possibly affect the final selections to be made in May. The Coaches made the tough decision to select only from the group at the tryouts. As Coach Richner said, "It was the only fair thing we could do." And with that decision, a new beginning for Team USA had dawned.

For the first time in anyone's memory Dave Gould, a.k.a. "Goldie," would not be a member of Team USA. His leadership and ability had earned the respect of teammates and adversaries alike. As a former Team USA co-captain with Goldie, Angelo Mongiovi put it, "It's like losing the heart of a team." His presence will be missed and remembered for many years to come.

New beginnings bring new faces and new ideas, and I am here to tell Team USA rugby fans, the future is bright. To witness the amount of intensity and drive assembled in one place was awesome. Every player was giving their all to strive for one of the coveted 20+ positions that were available.

As compulsory drills began on Friday morning, every player started with an equal chance of making the team. All players shared the enthusiasm. As one player described, "It's like the first day of spring training, we're all starters and haven't lost a game." The mood was almost playful, with athletes joking and reminding fellow ruggers of past stories and kinships.

That mood would change over the day though as slight miscues; a dropped ball, a 10 second violation, or a bad time in a drill would tighten the muscles and begin to play on the minds of athletes. Each time down the court you could sense the atmosphere becoming more and more focused. As the sounds of compressors filling repaired tubes permeated through the center, it was evident that the fun had worn off, and it was now all business. As Norm Lyduch, a member of the 1998 World Championship team said, "I am a self-motivator. If I set my mind to anything, I do it". That was the attitude of most, and the motivation of many of the USA's top athletes.

As players went into the afternoon session, they began to see that none of their comrades were going to roll over and be taken lightly. Focus was placed on key offense and key defense. Expecting to see a lot of this from the teams down under, the coaches were searching for athletes who communicated and worked well when placed in multiple roles. It was amazing to see players from different disciplines come together and succeed on both the offensive, and defensive, ends of the floor.

With day one at a close, participants were tired, but most remained confident. Some wondered how their times would compare with others, while others chose to call it an early night and head to bed. Unlike most rugby tournaments, the late night hijinx were absent here. All of the players realized the importance and honor of, as Houston native David Bynum said, "representing your country."

The tone of the group was, in the words of veteran rugby player Ric Draney, "intense." Each game on the second day of competition escalated to new heights, with players digging into their deepest reserves to find the energy to make the tough pass, or seal a great pick. With the competition at a frenzied pace and the inevitable cuts looming at the end of Saturday's session, the anxiety level was probably as high as the level of play on the court. Veteran Paralympic member, Bill Renje, was "cautiously optimistic" at his chances of advancing. Said Renje, "The days of players automatically moving forward in certain point classes are over." He later went on to say, "With the development of players in the 1.5 class, we see players within the class who are playing at the level of good 2.0's."

With day two behind the players, the coaches had the unsavory task of choosing which athletes would advance to the final day of competition for further evaluation. They would also choose those athletes that would advance to Colorado Springs after only two days of competition.

All the players seemed jittery, even veterans of this process questioned their performance and found areas where they could have done better. Former Paralympic member Dave Ceruti said of the moment, "I just have to know that I gave everything that I have, and if they don't select me, it wasn't because I didn't give it everything I had." He and the rest of the hopeful athletes made the journey down the hotel hallway to where the coaches had posted their decisions.

Emotions were both easy and hard to read on the faces of the players. Some came back with heads hung low and showed the obvious pain of not making it to Sunday's selection. It was easier to see the expressions of controlled "relief and happiness" by the players who had advanced, however. It's a strange feeling to describe. As many of the players who were interviewed for this article said, they enjoyed the camaraderie of Team USA, and were competing against one another on the court, but they were friends after the game. Now that was put to the test as players who had advanced were now faced with the task of trying to lend a kind word, or encourage an athlete who did not move on. It was not uncommon to see a pat on the shoulder, or a silent nod to a comrade who gave his all, and deserved recognition for just being at the tryout.

For the amount of emotion spent in that hallway, much more would be shown on Sunday. After the review of the selections, players who would be returning on Sunday went straight to bed. They awoke to a crisp clear day in southeast Texas. One that would change some players' lives forever, and cause others to reflect on their future in the sport.

No motivation was needed on Sunday for these athletes. Given that they had already had two 8 hour days of rugby, and had been on what many would describe as an emotional roller coaster, now would be the time they had to produce, and dig a little deeper.

All of the drills had been done, and the only way to see how well the athletes played was to put them on the court and let them go at it. A newcomer to the Paralympic tryout experience, Charles Ray felt good about his chances. He said "I'll just try and do the things I do best. I had a few problems with some of the drills, but I felt I played well yesterday." His view was common with those left at the beginning of Sunday's competition. The atmosphere was electric from the opening whistle, the sound of chairs crashing into one another, the smell of pine tar, and the voices calling for picks or passes filled the convention center. It was evident that not one of these athletes was going to make the choices of the coaches easy.

A funny thing about rugby, it is a game played by people who have physical limitations in their upper bodies. To watch these players strive and excel would challenge anyone to find a problem anywhere on their person. The passes that were caught, the picks that freed up players, the communication and encouragement between all the athletes proved, in this reporters mind, that Team USA could field more than one team and compete at all levels with each team.

As the last whistle was blown and the final equipment time out used, an uneasy calm fell over the athletes. There was no more to be said, no more "sleepers" to catch on another team, no more quick direction by the leaders on the court. No, the play at Tryout Camp 1999 was over. It would be a lunch break for the athletes and a decision break for the coaching staff.

Many of the athletes mingled around looking for confirmation that they had made the team. Some talked with players that had made the cut on Saturday, others talked with those that did not advance to Sunday's try for the chance at Gold. Every player felt they had a chance to move on to Colorado, Springs, but in reality, only a few would fill the coveted spots remaining .

All in all, it is a testament to the level of competition in the US, and the individual drive that these athletes came into camp with that proved to be the difference in the selection of the team. Coaches Richner and Gumbert said early on they were looking for players who "played their role, executed well with great transition, and communicated with the team." The players selected to advance to Colorado Springs in May in no particular order were:

The announcement of the team was both a joyous and heart wrenching moment. Players old enough to realize this might be their only shot at Paralympic Gold and others, young with experience, but filled with ideas of hearing the National Anthem played before a packed crowd, dealt with the sobering realities in front of them. Many said this would not be their last tryouts, but some of the old guard chose not to be so optimistic, saying rather "I'll still play, but probably not at this level".

The mood however for the members chosen was euphoric. Few had time to say anything before being called up for team photos and Paralympic information. Smiles and conversations would occasionally drown out the staff as they explained the need to stay in shape and be ready to step up to a higher level of play. And with that, the hammer was dropped and tryouts were over. A new beginning with members from the past and future all striving for one thing... GOLD.

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